It's a Dog's Life,
but It's Your Carpet

Biography of Justine A. Lee, DVM, DACVECC

Dr. Justine Lee is a board-certified emergency critical care veterinary specialist, and is currently the Associate Director of Veterinary Services for Pet Poison Helpline. For the previous five years, she was on faculty as an Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine.

Dr. Lee graduated from Virginia Tech with a BS in Animal Sciences, and then obtained her veterinary degree at Cornell University. She pursued her internship at Angell Memorial Animal Hospital, which is affiliated with the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA). In addition, she has also completed an emergency fellowship and residency at the University of Pennsylvania. Currently, she is 1 of approximately 240 board certified veterinary specialists world wide in emergency and critical care, and is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care (DACVECC).

Dr. Lee has been published in numerous veterinary journals, including the Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association, the Journal of Veterinary Emergency Critical Care, and the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine. She has also published several veterinary book chapters, and has been aired on radio and television to promote preventative medicine, animal health, and the overall well-being of pets. Dr. Lee is a contributing author for various sled dog magazines and various breed newsletters. She lectures throughout the world on emergency and critical care.

When Dr. Lee is not working in the ER, she is playing ultimate frisbee or ice hockey, hiking with her dog, traveling, gardening, or reading. Dr. Lee’s three kids include:

• A rescued pit bull terrier (abandoned with parvovirus) named "JP" after Jamaica Plain, where she worked in Boston.

• A rescued grey and white tabby cat (abandoned with head trauma) named after a former Bostonian-Irish-owned patient, "Seamus."

• A rescued black cat (adopted after being diagnosed with a congenital heart defect) named "Echo" after "echocardiogram," an ultrasound technique specific for the heart.